Death of a King
by The Pixled Soul
Summary: Heartbroken and unable to accept the fact that he and Princess Peach will never be together, Bowser decides to end his misery and take his own life. How will the Mushroom Kingdom react? How will the Mario Bros. react? How will Peach react?
1. Act 1 The Lord's Choice

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****Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership over any characters mentioned in this story. All characters, places, or objects are property of Nintendo and this story is for entertainment purposes only.

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**Death of a King**

**Act 1 - The Lord's Choice**

Drop... drop... drop. Drop went the sound of the tears that rolled off his face. Drop went the sound of his high ambitions and visions of a glorious future fading away into nothingness. Drop went the sound of his hopes and dreams as they died before his eyes. Drop went the sound of his heart sinking to the Earth. Another tear rolled down the creature's face as a dark storm cloud rolled over the top of the landscape; which would soon foresee the ominous events that were about to take place. A tear rolled down his scaly cheek, as it fell from his face and splashed the tip of one of his sharp claws. The creature that was standing at that very spot, had ceased the cruel lie that he set before his own face for all the years of his life. Now, he was nothing more than an empty shell of his former self. It was at this very moment in life that Lord Bowser knew that he would never be the same again.

The tantalized king stared down at the bottom of the cliff side he was standing on. Bowser's scaley clawed toes curled up the grass beneath his feet as he watched the waves of the sea splash against the sharp rocks that rested in the water at the bottom of the cliff. He had been standing there for some time now, as he was thinking over the events that played before him a few hours before. As the sound of thunder from the storm clouds began to ring in Bowser's ear, something a tad more painful was already burning up inside of him: questions.

Countless questions drifted in and out of the Koopa King's head, but to his disappointment, there was nobody there to answers his questions. He was all alone. Of course, that was his problem in the first place. 'How did this all go wrong?', he thought to himself while another tear fell from his face. Many more questions followed through his head. 'Is this really what my destiny holds?', 'Is this really all that's here for me?', 'Why does it have to be this way?', 'Why couldn't it be different?', 'Why must we all go on like this?', 'When will this horrible nightmare finally end?', 'Why was I so stupid as to **lie** to myself for all of theses years?'. The king half sighed and half whined as he reached deep into his huge spiky green shell. He pulled out what looked like a small turquoise colored rock.

As Lord Bowser stared down at it through the clouds of his watery eyes, he gently rubbed it with his large rough claws remorsefully. He knew that it wasn't just any old rock; in fact what he was rocking between his claws was actually a brooch... or at least the remains of a brooch. Another tear rolled from Bowser's cheek and landed right in the center of the former turquoise beauty. You see, it was actually a small fraction of an brooch. The original had been cracked into pieces earlier that day, and at this point, it was all that Bowser had left of his past... and his sanity. As two more of the broken king's tears landed on the shattered gem, two more questions entered his psyche. 'Why doesn't she love me?', 'Why can't she understand how strongly I feel about her?' As the king wept there on that lonely cliff side, the memories of what had pushed him to this current state of being had flooded back into his mind. Several more of the king's tears dropped to the soil as that fateful event played back in his head once more.

**FLASHBACK **

"No! Let go of me! Let go I said!", These words echoed through the corridors of the building. The young girl who shouted theses words was literally being dragged by the arm down the endless hallways of her castle by her kidnapper, Lord Bowser.

"Don't bother wearing out that beautiful little voice of yours my dear. I assure you, nobody can hear you." Assured the kidnapper. The koopa king giggled to himself. "Now that I have you in my clutches once again, there is **nothing **that'll stop me ruling my kingdom with you by my side!" Bowser proclaimed triumphantly. Hearing this, the princess dug her high heels into the carpet of the corridor, forcing Bowser to come to a stop.

"What did you say?! Oh jeez, not** this **again!", Peach grumbled rolling her eyes. Bowser chuckled a little.

"Oh yes, this again!", answered Bowser in a dark yet playfully mocking voice, "Why bother resisting Peach? You know that something is there. With you by my side, the Koopa Kingdom will flourish, and rise up as the strongest kingdom on the planet! No one could stop... **us**!" Bowser said, tightening his grip on Peach's arm. Bowser tried to drag his captive along, but the princess dug her heels firmly where she stood and looked the king straight in the eyes angrily.

"Bowser... please tell me, how many time have you tried to kidnap me in the past?", Princess Peach coldly asked. Bowser could sense that something was amiss with the princess. Normally, she would just flail her arms around and scream for the pesky plumber to save her. What was she doing? Using his free arm, he scratched his head and looked up at the ceiling to avoid Peach's cold stare.

"Ummm... off the top of my head? I would have to saaaaaaaaay...twenty-one...no twenty-four times!" Princess Peach, keeping her glare on Bowser, nodded.

"Okay, now tell me, out of those twenty-four times, how many times have you have you successfully kept me with you?" Bowser felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Where was Peach going with this? Bowser swallowed hard, feeling as if he just swallowed an entire time-bomb whole.

"Ummm... none.", the king said looking at his feet. He looked up at Princess Peach with rising aggravation. Why bother bringing up his past failures? After all, he had her now, right? As the king stared into Peach's cold blue eyes, he could sense just as much, if not more aggravation flowing through her.

"That's right, and do you want to know what that **should **tell you?", Peach sadistically asked the koopa king. Being the slightly slow thinker that he is, Bowser scratched his head again and had to think about this for a while (Cue Jeopardy theme). Peach sighed impatiently as she tried to tug herself free of Lord Bowser's mighty grip. Finally, an answer hit the lord. He snapped his fingers and he lit up like a light bulb.

"I need to be more persistent and forceful!", exclaimed Bowser

"**NO!**", Princess Peach screamed in anger. Bowser was taken back by this outburst, and stared at Peach as if she was about to kill someone. The princess continued "Bowser, you **idiot**! Don't you **get it**?! You and I will **never **happen! I'm tired of all of this! I'm tired of getting kidnapped by you all the time! I'm tired of your persistent attempts to make me yours! I'm tired of constantly getting caught playing tug-of-war with you and the Mario Bros.! It would never work Bowser! Why don't you just **give up **already?!" Just like that, Bowser stood there in complete shock, feeling as if somebody just punched him in the stomach and knocked the air out of him. A combination of anger and fear swept over the king. He was distraught by the princess's actions and words. He wasn't thinking clearly anymore.

"No! No, you're wrong princess. I'll see to it that you do rule by my side! Don't you get it? I'll never stop perusing you! **NEVER**! I would sooner **die **than live a life without you Peach! I'll make it happen, and nobody, not even Mario will stop me!" Consumed by fear and rage, Bowser grabbed Princess Peach by the shoulders with both of his massive arms and tugged her with all of his might. Panicking, Princess Peach tried to pull away from Lord Bowser, resisting his tugging with all of her strength. A struggle between the two had begun!

"No! ...argh. Bowser... I said no...urgh! Stop it!... Help me!...ungh. Somebody help me! Let go of me! ...ahhh! Let go of me you **creep**! **Don't** touch me! Why don't you **leave me alone**?! **STOP IT**!" The frustrated and frightened princess fought back the koopa king all she could, proving to be a worthy match even for Bowser! At the pace this was going, Bowser concluded that he was getting nowhere fast. He had to pick up the force if he was ever going to get out of Peach's castle successfully without getting caught.

"Come on princess... don't be this way! Rrgh... come on Peach, let's **move**! Stop being so stubborn!", Fear began to override the anger in Bowser, and he now desperately tugged on Peach, trying to persuade her to come with him. He tried to hold back the shakiness in his voice, "You'll like it...argh... I promise. C'mon...I'll take good care of you! Please Peach... let's move!", in a last ditch attempt, Lord Bowser grabbed the chest area of Princess Peach's elegant pink dress with one of his large scaley claws, "I said... **LET'S** **MOVE!**" With every last bit of strength, Bowser tugged at Peach's dress. The tug was so hard, Peach lost her footing and she went flying across the corridor. Bowser nearly had a heart attack as a loud _CRACK_was heard echoing through the lonely and unforgiving corridor. Peach landed roughly on the hard ground as she made a painful "oof!" sound. Peach hit the ground face first, and laid quiet for several moments without moving.

On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Bowser scrambled his way towards the fallen princess. Much to his relief, he witnessed the princess slowly bringing herself to her knees. As the princess slowly rose, Bowser discovered the source of the cracking noise. On the ground in front of Peach rested what looked like a turquoise gem cracked in half. It was Princess Peach's brooch! Every time Bowser saw the princess, she always had that turquoise brooch on her... and now he broke it. Bowser looked down at his monstrous claws and found the other half of the gem resting in his palm. His forcefulness must of been **so **strong, that his massive claw actually ripped it off of her and cracked the little ornament in half as if it were a piece of rock candy. His reflection dully glimmered back at him from the shattered brooch. For the first time in his life, the king realized that it was the ugliest and most grotesque image he had ever seen. Looking down at the princess, the king saw that the anger and rage that had previously been there had vanished from her face. The princess scooped up the other shard of the broken brooch as if it were a deceased infant. Where her angry glare had once been was a face of terror. The princess's eyes went from narrow and cold to large and glassy. She almost looked as if she was on the verge of tears, yet not a single one was spilled. Her mouth hung open, but only slightly as if to scream, but not a sound came out. Slowly and fearfully, she rose her head and looked up at the fearful Lord Bowser. As Bowser stared into those two blue pools, something stirred up inside of him. They were emotions that he never felt before, and he didn't know how to handle them. They swept over his body like a disease, and he couldn't fight them back anymore: remorse and sympathy. His vision began to get blurred and cloudy. Suddenly, he made his way down to Peach and spoke at 1000 words per minute.

"OhmygoodnessI'msosorrypleaseletmehelpyouYoulookhurtWeneedtogetyousomehelpI'msosorryI'msosorryI'msosorryPleaseforgivemeIdidn'tmeanitpleaseitwasanaccidentI'dneverhurtyouhereletmehelpyouupPleaseforgiveme!!" The princess didn't say a single word. She refused Bowser's offer to help, and avoided his touch every time he tried to help her. Princess Peach looked down and saw that there was a large hole in her dress where her brooch used to be. In it's place was Princess Peach's exposed cleavage. Blushing, she gently placed her tiny hand over her soft and fair skin the cover herself. She quietly stood up, looking down at her feet with her hand over her chest. As Bowser stood there speechless, low voices could faintly be heard in the distance, behind one of the many plethora of doors.

"I repeat, the princess is gone!", said one voice.

"Wait! What was that? I think I heard a noise!", whispered another voice.

"I heard it too! It came from over there!", another voice chimed in.

"Alright men, let's move out!", one more voice faintly yelled. 'Blast it', thought Bowser, 'the guards!' Without looking up or saying a word, Princess Peach slowly walked past Bowser across the corridor. She walked up to a random door, and with her free hand, she turned the knob and opened the door. Bowser stood in front of Peach with his mouth wide open, too shocked and frightened to move or speak. The king didn't know what to do. Should he try to escape the castle grounds before he got caught? Should he try to stop Princess Peach from leaving, and take her with him? Should he just stay there and turn himself in? In all of the confusion, Lord Bowser began to shed a few tears. He eventually dropped to his knees and crumpled on the floor as he began to bawl his eyes out. He had been reduced to a sad and confused ball of nerves. Whether it was out of pity, or something else, Princess Peach quietly murmured something to Bowser as she stood in the doorway of the crying king.

"Those are my guards... They'll be here any minute... If you don't want to be captured, I suggest that you leave now while you still can. Remember everything that I told you Bowser. Remember **everything**. Farewell.", When she said this, she did not lift her head up or look at Bowser. She just kept her head down at her feet. She grasped the knob of the door once more, and slowly, she closed the door to a complete shut. While the door creaked shut, Bowser could feel his heart ripping in two, just like the brooch.

The king was able to pull himself together long enough to stand up, but it was not the same Bowser anymore. It was a quieter and more frightened Bowser that now stood there. He was now alone in the corridor. He was alone. What to do? There wasn't time to think. He had to do something or he would be caught. Mustering what was left of his psyche, he breathed in deeply... and ran. He ran as fast as he could to avoid getting captured by the guards. As he ran, he left a trail of tears that only his fears and lies could follow. The king didn't care. The king could cry blood and he still wouldn't care. He just had to get out of the castle. That castle held too many opportunities to allow Bowser to lie to himself again. He came across an open window; it was do or die now. Letting out a cry of regret, he sprung his muscular legs and dove out the window. He fell for what felt like an eternity until he crashed roughly into some bushes. As the king let out a long sigh, he looked up at the sky. It was getting pretty cloudy, but the sunny blue sky still broke through. He looked up at the light blue sky and it reminded him of the large glassy pools of blue that he left on Princess Peach's face. Sitting up in the bush, Lord Bowser realized that he needed to think all of this out. He needed to find a place to think!

**END FLASHBACK**

A flash of lightning startled Bowser out of his thoughts and brought him back into the cruel plain of existence known as reality. Four more tears landed by the king's clawed toes as the cracking thunder caused them to stir. Bowser remembered everything Peach had told him, just like she ordered, and he had been playing back Princess Peach's words in his head as if it were a tape recorder from Hell. _'You and I will __**never **__happen'_, '_I'm tired of constantly getting caught playing tug-of-war with you and the Mario Bros.!', 'It would never work Bowser!', 'Why don't you__just __**give up **__already?!', '__**Don't**__ touch me! ', 'Why don't you __**leave me alone**__?!' _He cringed a little as he felt a few drops of cold water drip and role down his fiery mane. It had begun to rain. A steady drizzle dropped from the heavens and covered the king, almost as if God himself were crying over the events that happened. The rain started to come down harder, almost drenching the poor guy. As the rain rolled off his shell and plopped to the ground, it had become apparent to Bowser that he could no longer distinguish the rain drops from his tears.

He stared hypnotically at the water on the bottom of the cliff side. The way the waves splashed against the sharp rocks almost gave him a sense of peace and understanding. His eyes widened as if they belonged to a frightened child, and he lifted his head up as he stared out at the horizon of the sea. After hours of sulking and inner meditation, King Bowser finally came across his most perplexing thought: He and his rival, Mario, were more alike than he had thought. It seemed obvious to not only to the koopa king, but to the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom that Super Mario had feelings for Peach. These feelings for Peach were probably just as strong and steadfast as Bowser's feelings. The only difference between the two was that Mario showed his affection for the princess by doing fine things for the kingdom, like saving the princess's life. Lord Bowser, on the other hand, showed his affection by forcibly taking her away from her home and locking her in his castle, so that she doesn't leave Bowser's side.

It was at that exact moment that Bowser came across a shocking revelation that changed the way he thought about himself for the rest of his life: Lord Bowser was never evil at all, simply lonely! Being the ruler of an entire nation, and being a single father to eight horribly bratty children, Bowser felt misunderstood and alone in his own kingdom. Because the princess of his neighboring kingdom, the Mushroom Kingdom, was well known for her pure heart, unconditional compassion, naive innocense, and perpetual beauty, King Bowser felt that she was the perfect way to fill the empty void he was feeling inside. Thus, he would try to whisk her away to his kingdom, and have her rule by his side so they could be happy, and so he could have a companion who would understand him no matter what! Besides, it seemed like his number one priority over anything was kidnapping Peach. He would always make sure first and foremost that he kidnapped Peach before doing** anything**, such as conquering other kingdoms, which would mean that his heart was never actually into conquering the world in the first place. Now as he stood there with the rain pouring down on him, finally understanding himself and his own actions, Lord Bowser came to one final realization: Princess Peach was the only thing keeping himself motivated enough to live each day... but they would never be together... ever. Bowser was pretty much sure that the princess completely hated his guts, due to the rough and forceful way he treated her over the years. When she could have the choice of having that all-around good guy and sweetheart, Mario, it seemed obvious that Peach would never even **consider** staying with a foul creature such as himself.

With another loud crack of thunder off in the distance, the koopa king had finally freed himself from the chains of the ignorant lie that had constrained him; the only problem was that even though the shackles were off, he still enjoyed the sound of the jingling chains. The king could not handle the weight of the horrible truths. Princess Peach would never accept being by King Bowser's side. They would never get married. They would never rule both kingdoms side by side. They would never settle down, retire, or grow old together. Bowser would just be alone, destined to chase an unreachable dream forever more. Bowser let out a loud sob and buried his face into his claws after realizing all of this. As mucus began to ooze down Bowser's snout, he repeated his only realization in his mind again. _Princess Peach was the only thing keeping him motivated enough to live each day. _Silently, King Bowser slowly lifted his face from his claws, and he looked down from the cliff and stared at the rocks below. He knew what had to be done.

As he steadily nodded his head to himself, the king realized that it was the only possibility left for him. Although, deep down inside, from the very moment the king arrived at that spot, he knew it was going to be this way. Why else would he come to a place like this? The wind began to pick up, and as a bolt of lightning filled the sky, the rain began to fall even heavier. As Bowser shivered from the cold of the rain, he swallowed a large lump that was stuck in the back of his throat. He looked down and stared at the brooch shard one last time. He closed it within his fist. Tightening his grip on the turquoise shard, he whispered one final message to himself.

"I'm sorry Peach."

Sighing, Bowser slowly shut his eyes, catching a glimpse of the last bit of light he would ever see again. He spread both of his arms out wide, as if to give his upcoming fate a warm embrace. Finally, after shedding one last tear, King Bowser leaned forward and dropped head first off the edge of the cliff.

The wind screamed ferociously in the king's ears as it swiftly whirled past him. Another flash of lightning filled the sky, followed by another crack of thunder. Even though they could have been his last few seconds, Bowser didn't seem frightened at all; not one bit. In fact, Bowser seemed calm and almost at peace with himself. 'It couldn't be helped', Bowser thought to himself, 'This is really for the best. Now Princess Peach can now live out the remainder of her life in eternal bliss with the plumber; never having to worry about being kidnapped or hurt anymore. And I'd probably be driven insane without her, so at least I'll go now while I still have _some_ sanity left... I love you Princess Peach. I always have and I always will. I'll never stop loving you, and I 'll be watching you from the Great Beyond... always... Maybe I'll find happiness in the afterlife. Maybe somebody is waiting there for me; somebody like me: lustful and heart-broken. That would be nice. Or maybe I'll finally be able to go...'

Bowser hit the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. He did not move an inch or utter a single word. The choppy waves of the sea splashed against his lifeless limbs; washing over his giant shell. His grip on the turquoise brooch shard had loosened, yet it still remained in his claw. A loud crack of thunder filled the air and closed the deed that had been done. Lord Bowser, ruler of the Koopa Kingdom, was dead.


	2. Act 2 Aftermath

**Death of a King**

**Act 2 - Aftermath**

It did not take long for the world to find out about King Bowser's death. His body was discovered by a group of Koopa Troopas out on a search and rescue mission, after their king mysteriously never returned from his most recent kidnapping attempt. Bowser's body was found roughly thirteen and one half hours after he fell from the cliff. It only took a few days for the whole world to be in an uproar over the dictator's death. The Koopa Kingdom had been in absolute chaos over the loss of their ruler, however, the rest of the world had shown little to no pity over the king's actions. In fact, many parts of the planet seemed to celebrate and mock his death. The great and ruthless Lord Bowser, whom used to strike terror into civilians and callously attack innocent people without warning: falling off a cliff! What a laugh! Of course, at this point, everyone's eyes had been on the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser had attacked their land more times than any of the other lands combined. How would they handle the loss of Bowser? That, my friends, is where our tale continues.

At this point, it had been about two day's since Bowser's suicide. There had been a lot of commotion in the Mushroom Kingdom; most notably, in Princess Peach's castle. There was a grand party held there that day to celebrate the fact that their kingdom would never again be terrorized by the stubborn and heartless Lord Bowser! Many of the citizens were laughing among their comrades as they guzzled beverage after beverage and sang songs of the glory days. Some played their instruments loudly while others clapped to the beat and threw their garments in the air. A few even quietly stood in the corner... while they buried their faces in the buffet table and shoveled 800 gold coins worth of food down their throat (**cough **DK **cough**Wario** cough**). Even Mario and Luigi themselves couldn't resist all the celebration going on, going as far as bringing campaign to the party to commemorate all of their hard work. Yes, the idea of some power hungry dictator attacking their home seemed like a big joke of the past. It seemed as if everybody was enjoying themselves pretty well, and everything was going off without a hitch. However, there was one problem: Princess Peach, the one who should have been the **most **relieved about Bowser's death, was nowhere to be found. While all the merriment went on in the main hall, she was a few floors upstairs in a large abandoned corridor. It was here that Princess Peach had to go over a couple of political issues with her trustworthy assistant and royal adviser: Toadsworth. As a princess, and ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, it was her duty after all!

"My dearest apologies for such an unusual meeting stop princess, but due to all of the revelry that's been going on due to the current events, this is virtually the only place in the castle that is quiet enough to discuss theses political matters. I understand that you have been under some very recent trauma, and have been out of the loop of news, so we **must **discuss what we are going to due about the situation.", the elderly Toad politely said while he tried to adjust his dropping spectacles. As Toadsworth said all this, Princess Peach had herself leaned up against the wall, wearing a fresh, new, elegant, yet somewhat identical, pink dress, which replaced the ripped one from the incident two days prior. She had a look on her face as if she had been in a daze and wasn't paying attention, which annoyed Toadsworth. Suddenly, the princess spoke.

"You're right", she said dully, "It must be done.", she added She asked her first question, "Do they know the cause of death?", asked Peach.

"Well, Lord Bowser's corpse was discovered lying among some sharp rocks at the bottom of a cliff near the sea several miles from this location. There could be numerous theories as to how it happened: such as assassination, accident, etc. However, according to our intelligence report from the Koopa Kingdom, the doctors who performed the autopsy believe that the king, in fact, took his own life. We suspect that the Koopa Kingdom is trying to cover this up, in fear that it could wreck their kingdom's image... as if it weren't wrecked enough as it was." Toadsworth answered. Peach did not answer at first after hearing this; she was dead silent, as if she were in some sort of trance. After a long pause, she finally spoke.

"So, a suicide huh? What makes them so sure Bowser killed himself?", Peach asked her advisor. After thinking about it, Toadsworth answered her.

"Well, if the reports are correct, the CSIs found absolutely no sign of a struggle near the death scene, so it couldn't be a murder. They also saw that the cliff edge was completely sturdy and intact, with no signs of recent crumbling or breaking, which means Bowser could not have slipped or fallen by accident. Also, when the Koopa Kingdom's search and rescue team tried to remove Bowser's corpse from the water, they found something in the clutches of one of his hands...err... claws." The princess raised an eyebrow and stared down at Toadsworth from the corner of her eye when he said this.

"What did they find?", she quietly asked. Toadsworth rubbed his well-groomed white mustache as he tried to remember what it was.

"Umm... If I'm not mistaken, I believe that they found some sort of blue, NO, turquoise gem. Yes, that's right! In Bowser's claw, they found a small turquoise gem. The CSIs believe that it held **a lot**of significance to Bowser, if he held onto it tight enough to withstands the fall from the cliff. With no other options, that would mean that he fell off the cliff for some reason unknown, thus leaving us with only the conclusion that Lord Bowser killed himself! Of course, his exact motives for why he did what he did are a complete mystery, and probably will be for a long time."

Peach turned her head away from Toadsworth and stared forward into the nothingness that was in front of them. She slumped down the wall slightly and dropped her head. Peach had a pretty good idea as to why Bowser committed suicide. A wave of guilt washed over Princess Peach as she pondered over her words and actions that day. But why should she care? She would never again have to live in fear of being kidnapped again! She had no reason to feel guilty at all, did she? She wasn't sure. As Peach lowered her eyes to the floor, she asked Toadsworth another question.

"Toadsworth, what of the kingdom? With it's king dead, what's going to happen to the Koopa Kingdom, Bowser's land, his numerous castles, all of his men?" Peach asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Toadsworth looked up at the princess and cleared his voice.

"Well princess, you of all people should know that when a king or queen dies, an heir takes the thrown and rules in the former king or queen's place. Namely, this would mean that one of King Bowser's eight kids would take the thrown. However, our intelligence report tells us that his offsprings have shown little to no remorse for their father's passing. In fact, ever since Bowser died, all eight kids have been in a large conflict over who takes the title of ruler of the Koopa Kingdom. All eight heirs feel that they deserve the right to the throne more than the others. Their has been heavy talk going around that the Koopa Kingdom will eventually go into a civil war, which would mean that the kingdom will be divided, dissolved, and then eventually crumble to the ground. In plain English, it really doesn't look good for the future of the Koopa Kingdom.", Toadsworth answered the princess, "Of course, I see this as karma. What goes around comes around! Right princess?", Peach didn't answer him. She just shook her head and wrapped her arm around herself. After a spell of silence, a loud **POP! **could be heard from downstairs. Mario must have opened the champagne. Slowly turning her head, she asked her adviser one last question.

"Toadsworth... w-w-what about Bowser's remains? What are they going to do with them?", the princess nervously asked. Toadsworth quickly jerked his head and raised his eyebrow at her. Her question slightly took him by shock. He shook off the feeling.

"I'm kind of surprised that you would ask that.", Toadsworth stated with strong sincerity. He wiped his forehead and continued, "Well, since you're interested, the Koopa Kingdom made a public announcement this morning that they were going to have a two day long wake about three days from now. After that, they will have the funeral and then they will place Bowser's body in a mausoleum on the castle grounds."

"Oh... I see", Peach quietly answered, but Toadsworth wasn't finished yet.

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe Master Mario and Master Luigi said something about wanting to go to the Koopa Kingdom to pay their last respects at the wake. Master Mario even offered to be a pallbearer, but I've been trying to talk him out of the idea. I know for a fact that Bowser's men would be in an outcry if he pulled such a stunt, but you know how Mario is. He's always trying to help out, no matter who it is he's helping.", Toadsworth let out a long sigh and looked at his pocket watch. Peach picked up her eyes and quietly mumbled something to Toadsworth.

"Maybe... maybe I should go too... and pay my respects. Bowser would probably like that after all." It didn't even take a nanosecond for Toadsworth to respond to that remark.

"ABSOLUTELY **NOT!**",Toadsworth screamed, "After all the times Master Mario risked his neck to save you from that dreadful place?! By simply waltzing in like that, not only would you be abducted for sure, but you would be taking everything Mario ever did for you and throwing it away! As your royal adviser, I will **not** allow a princess of your kind to walk in there and be pounced on by those scoundrels like a sitting duck. You are staying here and that's **that**! It's far too dangerous!" At first, Peach glared at Toadsworth from the corner of her eyes. Then, she dropped her eyes again and let out a long sigh.

"I suppose you're right. There probably would be a lot of controversy.", the princess quietly uttered. For the longest time, Toadsworth and Princess Peach stood there in the empty corridor, both trapped in their own deep thoughts. In terms of politics, there really wasn't anything more to say. Suddenly, after a few minutes of silence, one of the main doors at the end of the corridor sprung open, and none other than Princess Daisy appeared in the doorway, apparently sweating and flustered.

"Toadsworth!", Daisy yelled from across the corridor, "We urgently need your assistance downstairs! Mario got into the champagne and he's trying to get a Mario Party started!"

"Oh bloody Hell, not again!", Toadsworth mumbled to himself, "I'll be right there Miss Daisy!", he yelled to Daisy. Toadsworth picked up his cane and turned around to Princess Peach. "Are you coming?", he asked. Peach had this vacant look on her face as she stared into the vastness of space. She pushed herself off from the wall she was leaning on.

"You go on ahead Toadsworth. I'll be right behind you.", the princess answered Toadsworth. Toadsworth simply nodded and ran off with Daisy downstairs. Princess Peach was alone in the long empty corridor. She sluggishly walked a step or two toward the center of the corridor. Despite there being a layer of carpeting on the ground, her high heels still clacked and echoed off the walls as she wandered the area. Out of the blue, she let out a half sigh/ half grumble sound. There where tons of places that Toadsworth could have picked for a quieter meeting; but of all of the places he could have picked, why did he have to pick **here**? Peach knew this area very well, and it gave her a pit in her stomach that was tempting her to throw up. As her eyes wandered from the numerous doors to the large windows, she saw that this corridor was the exact same one where Peach and Bowser had there final and grimmest meeting. Even though she was completely alone, the young princess couldn't help but feel that someone was watching her, or that somebody was about to barge in at any second. As a sweat drop formed around her smooth forehead, she looked behind her shoulders and around the rest of her body and the area to make sure she was absolutely alone. Princess Peach let out a sigh of relief.

When the princess was absolutely sure nobody was around, she sunk her head low, and dug her tiny hand into one of her dress pockets, and pulled something out. The object glistened faintly as Peach lifted it up to the light. Tiny, yet so priceless, she held in her hands a shattered piece of the turquoise brooch from her old dress. Even Peach herself seemed surprised that she would hold on to such a trivial object, but something inside told her to hold on to it, as strange as that seems. Somewhat paranoid, Peach quickly looked over both shoulders to really make sure nobody was around. When she was absolutely sure she was safe, she closed her eyes, slowly took a deep breath, and held the gem shard to her chest. As she exhaled that deep breath, she began to think about all that had happened in the last few days. 'That Bowser was a fool.', she thought to herself, 'He was too blinded by his emotions to think with any common sense. He should have learned to give up on me while he had the chance. Why did he have to be so stupid as to kill himself? I know that my words and actions were really harsh, but it was the only way to get him to get the picture and face reality. Him and I could never be together, ever. I mean, the rulers of two enemy kingdoms in love? Just imagine what everyone would think of it... of us.', Princess Peach opened her eyes just a crack. Her vision was getting blurry and cloudy, 'Toadsworth would be so angry, and Mario would be so disappointed... and heartbroken. My subjects would question my leadership. I guess that's one of the reasons I resisted him so often: for the sake of my image. But Bowser didn't care. As long as I was in his grasp, he could have cared less what the public felt. I... I guess that's why he was considered one of the strongest around. He was strong enough to risk the public badmouthing us... but I wasn't, and I killed him.' She shut her eyes one more time; she could hardly restrain the cause of her clouded vision. Peach, held the sparkling gem closer to her chest. Tightening her grip on the turquoise shard, she whispered one final message to herself. Although her voice was hoarse and shaky, she whispered something under her breath that she had wanted to say for many years.

"I'm sorry Bowser."

Drop... drop... drop.


End file.
